If I sit here at the computer, I can ignore the suitcases' dirty looks. And the breakfast and lunch dishes in the kitchen. And the piles of laundry waiting to be folded. And the masses of toys that the kids have been joyfully reunited with after a week apart. I think you see where I'm going with this.
Vacation! We saw things that have been begging us to come see them for decades. I don't know what took us so long.
Lower Yosemite Falls. Or, a tiny splash of it.
El Capitan. I learned last week that I am no landscape photographer. I think I can hold my own with kid photography, but really only when they're my kids. One would imagine that large rock formations, tall trees and spectacular volcanoes would be super easy to photograph. They will hold still forever, waiting for you to get the shot. Not so easy. And not nearly as spectacular in 4 x 6 format compared to live.
Anyway, El Capitan. And me.
Me and my date. And Half Dome. We were on our way out of Yosemite when this picture was taken. Approximately one hundred years later, we finally crossed the park boundary. Holy smokes, the vastness of that place was unexpected. Had we realized at the park entrance that there would be mile after mile of wilderness to share, I doubt we would have spent so many hours among the hordes of other vacationers competing for parking spots and picnic tables in Yosemite Valley.
On to the Cascades. This one is Lassen Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park. All the glorious mountains majesty of Yosemite with one percent of the masses flocking to behold them. Kevin and I are introverts. We like to hike alone. Together.
Just look at this deer. No one has come to take her picture all day. Just me. I have 947 shots just like this one. I love sunset.
I especially loved this sunset. At home, sunset is often missed. After dinner is the chaotic time of day when people need to take baths, get into pajamas, debate whether or not brushing teeth is required (it is), choose bedtime stories to read, then fight about whose pick is read first, then use stall tactics like I need a cup of water. No, a cup of water with ice. No, not that cup, the other cup. to try to avoid bedtime before we have all worn ourselves out and into a deep sleep.
On vacation, after dinner is time for one more trail before heading back to the yurt by the river that you get to call home for the night.
If you want to add a little danger to your vacation, hike a volcano. The Cinder Cone.
My thoughts about being married for 10! years: it's going surprisingly well. And also: it's not at all what I expected. When we agreed to love each other forever, I think I believed that we would love each other every moment of forever, and that if we didn't, it meant we were doing something wrong. And then we had children. Why didn't someone tell us that marriage would be so hard after having children? Wait, I guess you did. Why didn't we believe you? Kids. They never listen. It's terrible. So. Here we are. Married for ten years, and if I do say so myself, kicking ass at it.
And then, we got to the part of the trip that I have been waiting my whole life for. Sequoioideae. It's a real word. Wikipedia it if you don't believe me. Here are some from the Prairie Creek Trail. I think I'll just be quiet now and look.
One of my favorite things about this vacation was the lack of distraction. Kevin and I carried entire conversations from beginning to end without interruption. It was beautiful. For example,
Do you have to go to the bathroom?
Nah, I went while you were crying in the car.
True story. That happened on the day that it occurred to me that I was thousands of miles away from my children, I had no cell signal strong enough to talk to them, and it had been six days since I'd kissed these cheeks.
Luckily, I was in one of the most beautiful places in the world. The I-miss-my-babies heartache can only last so long when you're surrounded by the most intense green of Fern Canyon.
An at the end of the week, we went to the beach. Of course.
Meanwhile, back in the middle of the country, the kids were attending Summer Camp with my amazing parents and sister. 1:1 adult:child ratio. Brilliant. The stories and photos of that week will soon be appearing on their blog, I'm sure. We are incredibly grateful for our family. Thank you, guys. We couldn't do any of this without you.
